Mike Love in 1969

[Magic Transistor Radio]

I for one love the Mike Love look of 1969 with the long beard and the white robe. It's just so crazy. And when he puts a spell on the audience or something. Very funny. Anyway, I am just curious what Mike Love today thinks about that look. Anybody know? Does he distance himself from it? What did the other guys think in 1969? What do they think about it today? Anyone that has an opinion on it including backing musicians, Stephen Desper, managers, etc...

[Cabinessenceking]

By 1969 Mike Love was in the centre of his own universe. His ego had been swelled beyond what can be considered normal for a pop/rock artist. His white robe jesus look and eccentric stage personality damaged the reputation of the band. I think that ended witht he Sunflower/SU era. Someone prob told him to shut up (I suspect Dennis) and one sees a much more reclusive figure of Mike in the early 70's. Perhaps he realised that Dennis and Carl really were the main guys. The Inclusion of Ricky and Blondie along with expulsion of friend Bruce probably contributed as well. Thank God.

[filledeplage]

By 1969 Mike Love was in the centre of his own universe. His ego had been swelled beyond what can be considered normal for a pop/rock artist. His white robe jesus look and eccentric stage personality damaged the reputation of the band. I think that ended witht he Sunflower/SU era. Someone prob told him to shut up (I suspect Dennis) and one sees a much more reclusive figure of Mike in the early 70's. Perhaps he realised that Dennis and Carl really were the main guys. The Inclusion of Ricky and Blondie along with expulsion of friend Bruce probably contributed as well. Thank God.

Ya had to be there.  With all the stuff going on at that time, a white robe was not such a big deal.  Likely it was a
Maharishi influence, who also influenced the Beatles, as well. I think I saw him only once in the robes, and not in the
Summer of 1969.  Maybe the fall of 1968.  People were on downtown street corners in Krishna garb, so it was really no big deal.  Living in a college town exposes one to divergent ideas, dress and ways of life.

The guys wore what they wanted by that time in the summer of 1969.  I was one of those poor unfortunates whose Maharishi Tour was cancelled.  Boston.  That said, much of what Mike has supported, has taken 40 years to become mainstream.  Now, doctors prescribe meditation.  Meditation is being made part of the curriculum in schools.  It is being used for violence prevention in violent school settings, as a coping strategy. 

It is often a sign of a leader to make a statement for the public which, at the time, might appear radical, but, upon examination, over time, proves to be just one solution to a problem in society.  TM is now becoming mainstream.  Not so much, back then. 

[MBE]

Mike was shown old footage of it on VH1 around 1993. He laughed and said in his dense it was comfy.

[filledeplage]

Mike was shown old footage of it on VH1 around 1993. He laughed and said in his dense it was comfy.

Comfortable, yes, and, I think I saw the robe, on a black and white Paris show footage.  But, part of a bigger picture, whose concepts which were new to the Western World, are now more generally accepted and more mainstream.  Rock musicians took a risk, both thinking outside the proverbial box, with dress, and lifestyle.  They became a political force to be reckoned with, using their position as a voice for divergent thought.  One word: Woodstock.

My sense is that their touring and travel was a real source of direct education, and exposure to the ways in which other cultures think.  The US can be a very narrow and isolated country.  It was likely a post WWII response to the rebalancing of society post war.  Now, as a result of the web, young people are exposed to divergent societies and points of view.  It is a vehicle for tolerance. 

Ya, the robe was comfy.  But, it meant something deeper, I think.  Good for him, to have had made the statement. 

[Iron Horse-Apples]

I have to play devils advocate and chuck this one in here, but couldn't it also be that he was trying desperately hard to be hip. A bit too hard.

[filledeplage]

I have to play devils advocate and chuck this one in here, but couldn't it also be that he was trying desperately hard to be hip. A bit too hard.

He already was; he didn't have to try. 

Devils Advocates are good!   

Now the term, "hip" is a "dated" word.  If you look at the art scene, and fashion becoming so global at that point, a real "anything goes" attitude was the norm.  It was a very cool time to be young, and experimental with dress and develop your own style.   

[Iron Horse-Apples]

I have to play devils advocate and chuck this one in here, but couldn't it also be that he was trying desperately hard to be hip. A bit too hard.

He already was; he didn't have to try. 

Devils Advocates are good!   

Now the term, "hip" is a "dated" word.  If you look at the art scene, and fashion becoming so global at that point, a real "anything goes" attitude was the norm.  It was a very cool time to be young, and experimental with dress and develop your own style.   

By 1968, the Beach Boys were not hip, in the states anyway. I just feel Mike's trying too hard to be credible here.

[filledeplage]

I have to play devils advocate and chuck this one in here, but couldn't it also be that he was trying desperately hard to be hip. A bit too hard.

He already was; he didn't have to try. 

Devils Advocates are good!   

Now the term, "hip" is a "dated" word.  If you look at the art scene, and fashion becoming so global at that point, a real "anything goes" attitude was the norm.  It was a very cool time to be young, and experimental with dress and develop your own style.   

By 1968, the Beach Boys were not hip, in the states anyway. I just feel Mike's trying too hard to be credible here.

It all depends with whom you are speaking.  I'd say it is fair to assess that they were in a "different mode."
That does not mean they were not "hip." Do It Again came out in the summer of 1968.  The US was in a different mode. Martin Luther King and Bobby Kennedy were assassinated within months of one another.  Is it significant for music? You bet. 

FM radio, was discovering, at least, WBCN, in Boston, was playing Smiley.  Boutiques in Harvard Square were playing the entire album.  That was "hipper than hip." But in a different way.  Not the hit parade hip, but a consciousness-raising "hip."

They were being accepted, gradually, as serious musicians. Not the trite West Coast icons courting surf bunnies.  That is the difference. 

I thought I would faint, when I heard them being played, in a boutique in Harvard Square, (smirking smugly to myself.)

They weren't "square," on hippie radio. It was impossible.  And, the beginning of an inexorable brush fire in a drought.  I bet they were not even fully aware of what was happening.  They were on FM.  Unheard of. Hip FM.  Pet Sounds, as well.  On FM!

[Chocolate Shake Man]

I have to play devils advocate and chuck this one in here, but couldn't it also be that he was trying desperately hard to be hip. A bit too hard.

He already was; he didn't have to try. 

 

I love the moment from the European footage when Dennis says something along the lines, "We appeal to just about everyone from the very old (points to Mike) to the young (points to himself)"

[guitarfool2002]

One point that stands out about 1969 through maybe 1974 was Mike's demeanor: Is it just me or did it seem like he was acting stoned a lot of the time? I'm not being facetious or trying to stir something up, but I'm just curious if others may see that too. This was someone who was anti-drug in 65-66 and there is some proof of that both from that time and later interviews, yet a few years later that same guy is on stage acting and talking like an experienced stoner. Was this playing to the crowd? Or was it something to do with the TM studies? Even the Mike heard and seen in Hawaii 1967 sounds different from the bearded and white-robe wearing Mike of a few years later. And isn't it true that he did not take drugs at that time?

[Magic Transistor Radio]

I would like to point out that in recent years groups like the Danielson Famile and the Polyphonic Spree have sported robes. The first time I saw the Polyphonic Spree it immediately brought Mike Love to mind. Come to find out, Tim Delaughter mentioned in an interview that he loved a lot of music from the late 60s and early 70s. Then he said, the Beach Boys were doing a lot of that kind of stuff too (talking about the music). So he is probably familiar with the robe look of Mike Love.

[Magic Transistor Radio]

I have to play devils advocate and chuck this one in here, but couldn't it also be that he was trying desperately hard to be hip. A bit too hard.

He already was; he didn't have to try. 

 

I love the moment from the European footage when Dennis says something along the lines, "We appeal to just about everyone from the very old (points to Mike) to the young (points to himself)"

I think he said "from 16 (pointing to himself), to 60 (pointing to Mike)." He also reffered to Mike as Santa Claus. Assuming we are talking about the same interview. Mike, Al, Carl and Dennis are sitting in a bed? That one?

[guitarfool2002]

I thought the matching robe costumes of the Spree were a bit on the creepy side even though they made good music, but then again I think the only people who could make the robe look actually work as a fashion statement were Hugh Hefner and Brian Wilson, both for different reasons.  

[Chocolate Shake Man]

I have to play devils advocate and chuck this one in here, but couldn't it also be that he was trying desperately hard to be hip. A bit too hard.

He already was; he didn't have to try. 

 

I love the moment from the European footage when Dennis says something along the lines, "We appeal to just about everyone from the very old (points to Mike) to the young (points to himself)"

I think he said "from 16 (pointing to himself), to 60 (pointing to Mike)." He also reffered to Mike as Santa Claus. Assuming we are talking about the same interview. Mike, Al, Carl and Dennis are sitting in a bed? That one?

Yes! That's it.

[Magic Transistor Radio]

One point that stands out about 1969 through maybe 1974 was Mike's demeanor: Is it just me or did it seem like he was acting stoned a lot of the time? I'm not being facetious or trying to stir something up, but I'm just curious if others may see that too. This was someone who was anti-drug in 65-66 and there is some proof of that both from that time and later interviews, yet a few years later that same guy is on stage acting and talking like an experienced stoner. Was this playing to the crowd? Or was it something to do with the TM studies? Even the Mike heard and seen in Hawaii 1967 sounds different from the bearded and white-robe wearing Mike of a few years later. And isn't it true that he did not take drugs at that time?

Was he really anti drugs in 65-66? It might be him rewriting history given what happened to Brian and Dennis. But in The Real Beach Boy, he is said to be doing some drugs with Dennis. The last time they were seen taking together. Not sure when he REALLY became anti drugs.

[guitarfool2002]

One point that stands out about 1969 through maybe 1974 was Mike's demeanor: Is it just me or did it seem like he was acting stoned a lot of the time? I'm not being facetious or trying to stir something up, but I'm just curious if others may see that too. This was someone who was anti-drug in 65-66 and there is some proof of that both from that time and later interviews, yet a few years later that same guy is on stage acting and talking like an experienced stoner. Was this playing to the crowd? Or was it something to do with the TM studies? Even the Mike heard and seen in Hawaii 1967 sounds different from the bearded and white-robe wearing Mike of a few years later. And isn't it true that he did not take drugs at that time?

Was he really anti drugs in 65-66? It might be him rewriting history given what happened to Brian and Dennis. But in The Real Beach Boy, he is said to be doing some drugs with Dennis. The last time they were seen taking together. Not sure when he REALLY became anti drugs.

I thought he had sided with Murry when Brian was confronted about the drug use? Maybe I'm confusing that with one of those TV movie scenes, where I know that was played up...   It's a very gray area, especially factoring in Smiley Smile and balancing what Brian has said about making that album with other members' comments about drug use through the years. Maybe rewriting history is part of it, I'm not sure. It was always the impression around those years 65-67 that one of the inner band and family conflicts was drugs. I also got the impression Mike was not partaking in the late 60's and early 70's, especially as his TM studies got more intense, yet his stage persona seemed to be that of a stoner.

You can sense something between Brian and Mike listening to the "Party!" sessions, and a few offhand comments are made about drugs, without getting too specific here. Same with the Hang On To Your Ego issue.

[Amanda Hart]

John Stebbins can probably fill some of the details in here, but I also remember reading in The Lost Beach Boy about Mike drinking and maybe a little toking with Dennis in the early '60s. I don't think in the '60s Mike was totally anti-drug, whether he partook or not. I think the issue with Brian, and later Dennis and Carl's, drug use was that it started to interfere with their work. When Brian started spending more time with the more than causal users, that's when Mike started coping an attitude. When these other people started sharing ideas and writing songs with Brian, that's when Mike started getting vocal about it. When Brian backs away from that scene after Smile and starts working with the guys in the band again, Mike seemed to get cool again.

Regarding his stoner act and banter on stage, I always figured that was just playing to the crowds. A way to get a few easy laughs or cheers. His anti-drug stance now probably is a bit of revisionism. His way of saying, "I never got messed up on drug, and look at me now."

[filledeplage]

I have to play devils advocate and chuck this one in here, but couldn't it also be that he was trying desperately hard to be hip. A bit too hard.

He already was; he didn't have to try. 

 

I love the moment from the European footage when Dennis says something along the lines, "We appeal to just about everyone from the very old (points to Mike) to the young (points to himself)"

I think he said "from 16 (pointing to himself), to 60 (pointing to Mike)." He also reffered to Mike as Santa Claus. Assuming we are talking about the same interview. Mike, Al, Carl and Dennis are sitting in a bed? That one?

You tube still has a 2 part clip from Gaumont Palace, Paris, concert, anid the interview is sort of shared among four of them, where there were two twin beds pushed together, for an interview.  Mike's beard is really long.  The Santa reference is in conjunction with Dennis comment about the beginnings of the band, stemming from the back seat of the car and holiday family gatherings and sing alongs.  And since it was in French, Dennis seemed to be trying to communicate effectively and with a sens d'humeur.  Hence the Santa remark. I think.

And it features a really stripped down and relaxed version of the band.  Mike has no robe, and the date listed is December of 1970. The interviewer is initially positioned next to a dilapidated truck with a barking dog in the background.  

It is a delightful clip, with Country Air (a favorite) and presents an opportunity to watch and decide.  No one appears stoned or drunk.

It is a little dangerous to comment on someone's sobriety, without being a witness.  At any rate, the message from the band is that they were trying to evolve their music, and the industry was non-supportive of them and basically hostile to allowing them to grow and change.  It appeared to be an attempt to get someone in the foreign press to listen to them.  Certainly, there was a reluctance, by some factions, to allow them room to grow, change and develop in other directions.  

Dennis looks incredibly in control, and precise...This clip has had over 86,000 hits.  

Search Beach Boys - Live (Paris, December, 1970)

[cablegeddon]

On the cover of 15 big ones he looks amazing for a bald guy.

[Chocolate Shake Man]

You tube still has a 2 part clip from Gaumont Palace, Paris, concert, anid the interview is sort of shared among four of them, where there were two twin beds pushed together, for an interview.  Mike's beard is really long.  The Santa reference is in conjunction with Dennis comment about the beginnings of the band, stemming from the back seat of the car and holiday family gatherings and sing alongs.  And since it was in French, Dennis seemed to be trying to communicate effectively and with a sens d'humeur.  Hence the Santa remark. I think.

Yes, good videos. I think that the Santa comment along with the "from 17 to 70" comment suggests that there was antipathy between the two on this day, though Mike more than likely wouldn't have shown it at that time.

[oldsurferdude]

By 1969 Mike Love was in the centre of his own universe. His ego had been swelled beyond what can be considered normal for a pop/rock artist. His white robe jesus look and eccentric stage personality damaged the reputation of the band. I think that ended witht he Sunflower/SU era. Someone prob told him to shut up (I suspect Dennis) and one sees a much more reclusive figure of Mike in the early 70's. Perhaps he realised that Dennis and Carl really were the main guys. The Inclusion of Ricky and Blondie along with expulsion of friend Bruce probably contributed as well. Thank God.

I like your drift-well written.

[SMiLE Brian]

By 1969 Mike Love was in the centre of his own universe. His ego had been swelled beyond what can be considered normal for a pop/rock artist. His white robe jesus look and eccentric stage personality damaged the reputation of the band. I think that ended witht he Sunflower/SU era. Someone prob told him to shut up (I suspect Dennis) and one sees a much more reclusive figure of Mike in the early 70's. Perhaps he realised that Dennis and Carl really were the main guys. The Inclusion of Ricky and Blondie along with expulsion of friend Bruce probably contributed as well. Thank God.

I like your drift-well written.

Mike Love's lost years ended with 15 big ones.

[adamghost]

Check out the footage of a full band concert in '69 that's on youtube.  Fascinating document of the era. Mike is insane.  Doing all manner of goofy and weird sh*te.

I kinda like it.  But Carl looks like he's about to have kittens and I don't blame him.

[Wilson Love]

By 1969 Mike Love was in the centre of his own universe. His ego had been swelled beyond what can be considered normal for a pop/rock artist. His white robe jesus look and eccentric stage personality damaged the reputation of the band. I think that ended witht he Sunflower/SU era. Someone prob told him to shut up (I suspect Dennis) and one sees a much more reclusive figure of Mike in the early 70's. Perhaps he realised that Dennis and Carl really were the main guys. The Inclusion of Ricky and Blondie along with expulsion of friend Bruce probably contributed as well. Thank God.

"Damaged the reputation of the band"? You obviously weren't around back then, were you?